An active AskRentAI account. Create one here if you haven't yet.
Your AskRentAI API token. It starts with rmk_. We emailed it after signup.
A Rent Manager user with API access. Your regular RM login works if it already has API access enabled. A dedicated user (e.g. askrentai-api) is recommended but not required — see the next section.
An AI chat client that supports the Model Context Protocol. Claude Desktop is the smoothest; ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok all work.
2. Rent Manager API user Recommended
This step happens inside Rent Manager, not AskRentAI. You can skip it if you already have an RM login with API access — most people do, and AskRentAI works fine with it. The dedicated-user setup below is the safer pattern; it's a recommendation, not a requirement.
Check your account has API access first. Open https://yourcompany.api.rentmanager.com in a browser, using your Rent Manager database name. A “Welcome to the Rent Manager Web API” login screen means you’re set. “You do not have licensing for this product” means Rent Manager needs to add the API service to your account first, and no user setting will fix that. More on the browser test.
If you want the safer setup (dedicated user)
Sign into Rent Manager as an administrator.
Create a new user named askrentai-api. First name AskRentAI, last name Integration, any email you control.
Set a long random password. Save it somewhere safe.
Enable API Access on this new user.
Grant read access to Properties, Units, Tenants, Leases, Reports, financial / GL data, and meter reads.
Why bother? Cleaner audit trail (every AskRentAI request is attributed to one identifiable login) and easier revocation (disable one user to disconnect AskRentAI without touching anyone else's access). If your regular RM login is shared or already has API access enabled, the convenience cost of a dedicated user is small and the security upside is real — but it's your call.
3. Claude Desktop Recommended
The smoothest path — no files to edit, takes about a minute.
Install (or update) Claude Desktop from claude.com/download. You need a recent build that shows Connectors in Settings — if yours doesn't, update to the latest version.
Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
Fill in:
Name:AskRentAI
Server URL:https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
Click Save / Connect. A browser window will open at askrentai.com asking you to sign in. Enter your account email and click the one-tap link we email you.
Approve the connection on the consent screen. The connector should show Connected within a couple seconds.
Open a new chat and type "list my properties" to confirm it works.
Prefer a static token? You can still paste your rmk_ token from signup as the Bearer if you'd rather skip the email sign-in. Both authentication methods work — OAuth is just easier on mobile.
Don't see "Connectors" in Settings? Your Claude Desktop version is too old. Download the current build from claude.com/download, install over the top, restart, and the Connectors panel will appear.
4. Claude.ai (web + mobile) Works
Claude on the web (and the iPhone / Android apps) supports AskRentAI directly via the Connectors UI. No bearer token to paste — sign in with your AskRentAI email. Works on Claude’s Free plan: Anthropic says custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, and “Free users are limited to one custom connector.”
In Claude.ai, open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
Connector name: AskRentAI.
URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
Leave the optional OAuth fields blank — Claude will discover them automatically.
Click Add. You'll be redirected to askrentai.com to sign in. Enter the email on your AskRentAI account, click the one-tap link we email you, then approve the connection.
The connector should show "Connected" right after.
Claude.ai Enterprise: on Enterprise plans the org Owner has to add the connector at the organization level (under Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom → Web). Same URL, same flow — each member then signs in with their own AskRentAI email.
5. ChatGPT Paid plan + developer mode
ChatGPT supports AskRentAI as a custom MCP connector. ChatGPT: requires a paid plan (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu) with developer mode on. ChatGPT Free and Go can’t add custom connectors; on those, use Claude.ai instead. The exact UI shifts occasionally — current path as of mid-2026.
On a personal account (Plus / Pro), you turn it on yourself:
Turn on Developer mode first: Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode. Without it, ChatGPT only allows search-style connectors and won't call AskRentAI's full tool set.
Go to Settings → Connectors → Create (custom connector).
Name: AskRentAI. Server URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp
A browser sign-in window opens — sign in with your AskRentAI email, same one-tap link flow as Claude.ai. Approve the connection.
In a new chat, enable the AskRentAI connector (via the tools / + menu), then ask "Use the AskRentAI tools to list my properties."
ChatGPT Business / Enterprise: it's an admin setting, not a personal one. On a workspace plan you won't find Developer mode in your own Settings — custom connectors are controlled by the workspace Owner or Admin, and there is no separate "plugin" to install (OpenAI retired the plugin store; the MCP URL above is the modern equivalent). An owner/admin does this once:
Open Workspace Settings (the admin panel, not personal settings) → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data.
Enable Create custom MCP connectors / Developer mode for the workspace.
Create the connector — Name: AskRentAI, Server URL: https://api.askrentai.com/mcp, auth: OAuth. ChatGPT runs a Scan tools step.
Test it as a draft, then publish it to the workspace.
Members then see AskRentAI in the tools / + menu and sign in with their own AskRentAI email.
If your admin won't enable it, AskRentAI works with no admin involvement in Claude.ai (Free plan included; Free users are limited to one custom connector), Grok, or a personal ChatGPT Plus or Pro account with developer mode on.
If the sign-in won't connect, check your emails. Sign in with the email on your AskRentAI account; using the same email for ChatGPT and AskRentAI avoids mismatches. If it still won't connect, use the Bearer fallback below or one of the other clients.
If OAuth sign-in is flaky, switch the connector to API-key / Bearer auth and paste your rmk_ token from signup instead. That path doesn't depend on email matching and is the most reliable fallback.
6. Gemini Works (CLI)
Google's Gemini CLI added MCP support in 2025. The web Gemini app's MCP UI is still rolling out — the CLI is the most reliable path today.
Edit your Gemini CLI config (typically ~/.gemini/config.json). Add an mcpServers entry pointing at https://api.askrentai.com/mcp with your Bearer token, similar to the Claude Desktop block above.
A browser sign-in opens — sign in with your AskRentAI email, click the one-tap link we email you, and approve. (Prefer a static token? Paste your rmk_ token as the Bearer instead.)
Save and reload the chat, then ask "list my properties."
Don't see "Add MCP server"? Custom connectors in the Grok app require a paid tier (SuperGrok / Premium+). On the free tier the option won't appear — use Claude (its Free plan allows one custom connector) or a paid ChatGPT plan with developer mode instead.
8. Ask your first question
Once connected, type any of these to confirm everything works:
"list my properties" — quickest smoke test
"what's my NOI by property last month?" — exercises portfolios + financials
"show me delinquency aged 30/60/90 across the portfolio" — exercises rent roll + reporting
"which units are vacant and marketing-ready?" — exercises occupancy
Almost always a restart issue. Fully quit and reopen the AI client. Config changes don't reload automatically. On Claude Desktop, that means quit from the menu — closing the window isn't enough.
"401 Unauthorized" or "invalid token"
The bearer token is wrong, expired, or has a typo. Common causes: extra whitespace, missing rmk_ prefix, copy-paste truncation. Try copy-pasting from your welcome email again. If still failing, rotate via POST /admin/tenants/me/rotate-token (or just sign up again with a different email).
"Couldn't reach Rent Manager" on the signup page
Your RM credentials didn't authenticate. Common causes:
Wrong base URL — confirm by logging into Rent Manager in your browser and copying the URL host.
API access not enabled on the user — see section 2.
The Rent Manager API service isn't on your account. Open https://yourcompany.api.rentmanager.com in a browser: if it says “You do not have licensing for this product”, contact your Rent Manager rep to add it. See the browser test.
Wrong location ID — try 1 if you're not sure.
"This Rent Manager database isn't licensed for API access"
Rent Manager reports You do not have licensing for this product. This is not a username or password problem — the Rent Manager API service isn't on your company's account, and credentials don't matter until it is.
Contact LCS (your Rent Manager rep) to add the Rent Manager API service; see Does my Rent Manager plan include API access? for what to ask. Once it's on your account, return to the Connection page, re-enter your password, and hit Save & verify. Also confirm the user you're connecting with has API Access enabled — see section 2.
The AI answers with "I don't have access to that data"
Means the chat client isn't actually calling the AskRentAI tools — it's improvising. Check that the AskRentAI connector shows as "connected" in the client. If it does, try asking more directly: "Use the AskRentAI tools to list my properties."
Still stuck
Email brian@askrentai.com. Include the AI client you're using, the exact error message, and (if you have one) a screenshot. Replies usually within a day.